Youth's alert
by NotNearlyAMuggle
Summary: Cerys is being stalked by the creatures that have been around her all her life. Now she's left with just her son and her magic until she's found by the knights and the King.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't know where this I is going to go but watching the last two series of Merlin I had an idea of a character in my head the whole time so here's my idea and I hope you like it.**

Chapter 1

I was careful to make no noise as I crept through the wood. I could hear nothing and I could see even less, there was no way I was finding anything to eat out here but I had to keep looking. The bow and arrow I had strapped to my back was just for show, I only used it occasionally.

Something caught my eye on my left, a bush, with a small bunch of red berries on it. I knew they weren't the poisonous type so I knelt to pick them but as I reached through the thorns a haunting sound came from behind me.

A baby was crying.

I jumped up immediately, hardly noticing that I scratched my hand on the thorns I had been avoiding. I raced back to the clearing where I had not only left the little food I had not eaten but I'd left my son.

Luckily, I had deliberately kept close to the clearing to look for food and so I only had to run back for about a minute. It was, however, the longest minute of my life. I could hear him screaming and the trees around me were now in chaos, branches were braking and I could hear the crashing of heavy boots on hard ground. Men, around five of them and they were close.

I reached my son as the first arrow flew past my head. I span round, out of instinct, just as the group of men came rushing out of the trees.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" The one at the front asked before I had retrieved my bow. I recognised him but I wasn't sure how.

"It wasn't you shooting?" I asked cautiously.

"Of course not," the man at the front answered, he was big built and blonde. All of the six men, except for one, wore the Camelot coat-of-arms. Knights, I thought. That's when I realised just who I was talking to. "We were out looking for signs of another shooting and we heard the boy crying."

"I'm sorry," I apologised, "Your Highness."

One of the other knights laughed as The King nodded in appreciation. The knight's face was stubbly and his hair fell to his shoulders. His mouth was curved into a smirk and his hand gently rested on his sword.

"Can I ask why you're out here in the forest?" King Arthur asked, "Shouldn't a girl of your age be with her parents?"

"And why do you have a weapon?" The smirking knight asked, "And a child? And why are you wearing boy's clothes?"

"I have a weapon because I am protecting my son, who is the child and I'm wearing boy's clothes because it is rather difficult to run through the forest, with a child, in a dress and a corset." I answered the knight's questions first. "I'm in the forest on my own because my... um... town was burned down and I was trying to stay hidden from the people that burnt it down."

I kept a steady voice throughout my story and I told as much of the truth as I could.

"The child is yours?" The king asked me.

"Yes," I answered looking down to my son who had stopped screaming on his makeshift bed. "He's mine and, My Lord, I'd advise you to keep your voice down because the people who were shooting won't have gone far, they'll just be waiting on another opportunity. I guarantee they'll be listening to this conversation."

"Who are they?" He asked.

"I don't know," I lied carefully, "I mean, I have my suspicions but I'm not quite sure. They have been following us since we left the town. I thought we'd lost them, that's why I left him here when I went to get food."

"Where's the boy's father?" King Arthur asked.

I looked back at his knights and the other boy that I assumed was the King's servant. "We... um... left him."

The King started to look suspicious, he eyed the bow and arrow strapped to my back again and looked at my son. He opened his mouth to speak to me again but I acted too quickly.

In those few seconds that the King had become wary of me I had felt a new presence enter the clearing. It was undetected by everyone except me, the servant and a smaller knight at the back of the group (whom I noticed had both tensed and begun looking around worriedly). It was a presence I recognised and I let my instincts take over.

I pulled the bow and a single arrow from the sheath on my back and I nodded to the servant who understood. He pushed the king to his right giving me a clear enough view of the person already aiming at me. I let go of the string and muttered an incantation. I felt the power flow through me and I directed the arrow at the shooter's shoulder, at the same time I felt an arrow being forced towards me. I threw my hand in front of me and with all the power I could muster as well as several incantations I forced the charmed arrow into the dirt. My son was screaming from behind me again, he too had felt the presence.

The shooter fell from the tree to the ground.

"She has magic, My Lord!" One of the knights shouted.

"Yes," King Arthur said quietly, "I noticed, Percival."

"We all did," muttered the knight at the front with the long dark hair.

"If you're going to arrest me for it, Sire I would advise we move fast," I spoke up, "They'll be ready to fight again in five minutes."

"How do you know that?" The king asked me taking a slight step back from me.

"I've been fighting them off my whole life," I explained as I knelt to pick up my son who had, again, gone silent. "You learn something about people or things that are trying to kill you when you've been fighting them your whole life."

"She's right sir," the young knight that had also sensed the creature's presence spoke up, "I've encountered them before, they'll only take a few minutes to get their energy back before they attack."

"Okay," King Arthur turned to me, "bring your son, and you're coming back to Camelot with us. You used magic. We'll discuss it when we're protected by the walls of my castle."

I felt my heart sink, I knew that I'd broken the King' laws but I saved his life, surely that counted for something. My baby laced his tiny hand into my hair and closed his eyes. I felt an ounce of comfort rush through me at his touch and I relaxed slightly.

"Gwaine!" The king ordered, "Stay at the back and watch her, don't let her out of your sight. We need to move now to make it back before nightfall."

"Yes Sire," the scruffy knight muttered as he made his way to the back of the group beside me and my son.

The king made his way to the front of the group and started making his way back towards his kingdom, followed closely by his servant and the rest of the knights. The young knight that had spoken up earlier about having already seen the creatures hung back a little looking like he wanted to say something but then he chickened out and joined another knight, who was the muscliest person I'd ever seen, in the middle of the group.

My son began muttering nonsense as we walked through the darkening forest. I smiled at him and he muttered faster.

"He seems excited," the knight (Gwiane) said quietly to me.

"He's nervous," I corrected him. "He can feel their presence, the creatures; we don't have to worry until he starts to cry. He only cries when he senses danger."

"How do you know that?" Sit Gwaine asked, "He's just a child. He can't even talk properly."

"He's got magical blood," I explained quietly, "magical kids are always more aware of their surroundings than others and I'm his mother. Mother's always know."

"You realise magic is outlawed." The knight smirked looking at me curiously.

"Your point?" I asked.

"You used sorcery in front of the king." The knight said, "Why?"

"I wasn't going to let The King die." I said, "Magic may be outlawed but I wasn't going to stand back and watch the King of Camelot die because I was worried about myself. I knew I could do something, so I did."

"I'm not sure whether that was smart or stupid." Gwaine smirked, "One of The Knight's would have saved him."

"No you wouldn't have." I said firmly. "I've been fighting those things all of my life and I can only just over power them. Their weapons of choice vary and are each charmed differently and you have a split second to see what that particular one is using and pick the right counter-curse. Even if you do get the right one it takes a lot of power to force it away and still get your weapon to them. Any old knight could not have killed them."

I had struggled incredibly hard to learn how to fight the beasts that had attacked us. I was not going to stand there and have an arrogant, single minded knight tell me that what I had just done was easy. The proof, that fighting those monsters was incredibly difficult, was that the exhaustion fighting its way through my body had almost taken over.

Gwaine looked taken aback, obviously he was not used to women telling him they could do something better than him.

We walked for a while in silence but the longer we walked the more exhausted I felt. My legs were in agony and after using the amount of power I had used sending and getting rid of those arrows my head was hurting. My son was getting heavier and heavier in my arms and eventually I was walking slightly slumped over and was dragging my feet. It wasn't until I was falling that I noticed I'd tripped.

I felt strong arms around my waist and I felt my boy being taken from my arms.

"Give him back!" I muttered with all the force I could muster.

"It's alright," Gwaine said, "Merlin's a physician, he'll take care of your son."

"You sure?" I said. I wasn't quite understanding why I was allowing my child to be taken away by someone I didn't know or why I was trusting this knight.

"Of course I am." Sir Gwaine said in my ear. His arms were still around my waist holding me on my feet.

I heard the King's voice call back to us. "Everything alright Gwaine?" He asked.

"She's exhausted Arthur," the servant who had taken my child shouted back. I noticed that not only did he speak out if turn but he called the King by his first name. "She needs to rest."

"We don't have time to rest, Merlin," The King said as if the servant was stupid but I noticed that he was still taking the servant's warning seriously. "It's not long now and if she and Mordred are right about those creatures then we need to get to Camelot as soon as we can."

"I'm fine," I lied feebly, trying and failing to stand from where I was still being supported by Gwaine.

"No she's not Sire," Gwaine said with a worried tone to his voice, "she can't even stand up properly."

The King made his way back to stand right in front of me and he bent so he was at my eye-level. I could see him trying to come up with a solution quickly.

"We need to carry her." King Arthur said finally. "Percival do you think you can carry her the rest of the way?"

"My Lord," Gwaine spoke up, "she's underfed and not exactly wearing heavy clothing, I think I can carry her."

"I'm fine I just need a bit of support," I mumbled not at all comfortable with being carried like a child by a knight.

"I'm sorry Ma'am but I'm afraid I don't believe that," The King said to me, "Merlin's right she's exhausted."

"Sorry, Sire," Merlin smirked, "could you repeat those words I don't think I quite heard you right. Did you say I was right?"

"Shut up Merlin." The King muttered. "Gwaine, are you sure you're alright lifting her?"

"Yes." Gwaine answered confidently, "but you might need to take her bow, it might be a little difficult to carry her when that's strapped to her back."

The King and Gwaine removed the sheath from my back and I muttered a tiny "please be careful" to the knight that The King passed them on to.

"Ready?" Sir Gwaine asked me.

"I guess so," I grumbled as I swung my arm over his shoulder. He lifted me from under my knees and held one arm firmly on my back. I felt my body relax into him and as much as I hated to admit it, it felt good.

"Okay," The King said a little louder, "let's get going and pick up the pace, Leon and Percival lead us please I'm going to hang back here and make sure everything is okay at the back since Gwaine's occupied."

There were a few "yes, Sir's" and then I felt us moving again and my eyes began to close.

"Don't let her sleep Gwaine!" Merlin snapped at him, "We need to keep her awake until we can get her back to Gaius."

"How do I keep her awake?" Gwaine muttered angrily.

"I don't know!" Merlin muttered back, "Talk to her?"

"Right," Gwaine said calmly. My eyes were still closing. "Hey, don't sleep, please."

"I'm trying," I muttered. "It's difficult."

"I know but we need you to!" Gwaine said to me.

"I know," I repeated, "but it's difficult."

"Talk to me," Gwaine smirked at Merlin, "I don't think we even asked your name."

"Cerys," I whispered, "my name's Cerys."

"It's a lovely name." Gwaine said. "I'm Gwaine."

I let a tiny smile escape onto my face, "I know."

"How do you know?" The Knight asked slightly confused.

"The King has said it more than once." I answered honestly, "I pay attention."

"Clever girl," he smirked. "What about your son, what's his name?"

"Bryce," I told him.

"Bryce?" He asked.

"Yes." I said.

"Did you choose his name?" Gwaine asked.

"No," I, again, answered honestly, "his father decided on it. I guess it suits him though. The Druids say it means alert."

"Like with those creatures?" Gwaine asked.

I nodded. I was getting more tired as we travelled through the forest and though I felt better in Gwaine's arms I felt awkward. He was holding me tightly to him and I felt tense with his strong arms around me but trying to resist relaxing completely was tiring me out.

"Keep your eyes open." Gwaine said to me when he noticed them shutting.

"I'm trying." I moaned.

"Isn't there some spell to make you wake up?" The knight smirked.

I frowned, "Maybe but I don't know it and sleeping is natural. You're not meant to interfere with nature something could go wrong."

"What do you mean?" Gwaine asked curiously. I knew he was just trying to keep me awake but I was glad because it was working.

"Well," I tried to think of an example, "Sometimes a spell can go wrong when you're interfering with nature. If you try and make a tree grow faster than it should it can die or it can grow far too fast and end up huge. If I was to try and make myself less tired with magic the spell might last an hour or it might last a week. Potions are a much more efficient source for things like that."

"So Gaius, the Camelot physician, could make a potion that could cure exhaustion?" Gwaine asked.

I thought that over, "In theory, yes. He probably could but a potion like that would probably require some sort of sorcery."

"So you could make yourself one?" Gwaine asked, he looked genuinely curious.

"I guess so but if I needed one that badly then I probably wouldn't be able to," I answered.

"I suppose." Gwaine admitted. "Your boy's pretty chatty tonight." The knight observed signalling Bryce who was chattering nonsense animatedly to Merlin. "I hope whatever he senses keeps its distance."

"The closer we get to Camelot the less likely it will be that the creatures will strike." I said, "He'll stop soon."

I didn't dare tell the knight that Bryce is never chatty unless he is in the company of someone magical; I decided to keep that my little secret.

It was true though, with the first sighting of the castle Bryce stopped chirping out his nervous chatter and a strange silence fell upon the group from the forest.

As we grew closer to the huge kingdom King Arthur began shouting orders.

"Gwaine! Merlin!" He shouted, "Take them to Gaius!"

"Yes Sire." Gwaine replied. We left as Arthur started shouting orders at the other knights. "Only a little longer now Cerys, keep your eyes open."

"Yes, Sir," I said half-heartedly.

Those last few minutes were the most difficult of the whole journey; my brain was having a constant battle with my eyelids. The rocking motion, from Gwaine's walking, that had been uneven in the forest had now settled into a steady rhythm due to the ground under his feet evening out. When he finally placed me down on a bench in front of an older man, that I assumed was Gaius, I couldn't hold myself up right. Gwaine's kept his arm across my back to support me and I continued leaning into his shoulder.

Gaius bent down to look at me, "So..."

"Cerys," I filled in.

"So Cerys," he smiled, "Merlin's, sort of, filled me in and you've done well staying awake, sorcery induced exhaustion is a very dangerous way to fall asleep and very difficult to resist."

I just nodded.

"I'm going to ask you to drink this," Gaius asked holding a small cup of purple liquid in front of me, "it will make you fall asleep but keep your brain conscious. I'm sure you know better than I do that if you had fallen asleep out there, because of the amount of power you had used, you could have been out for days."

I nodded. Back home there had been numerous incidents when people had come home asleep and not woken up for, sometimes, as much as a week. It's not only dangerous for the person that's asleep but also the people around you. When you're sleeping for days on end, when you have magic, your body takes much longer to revive itself than your power. In fact your magic comes back to its full strength pretty much straight away but instead of you being in control of it, it pretty much takes control of you. I've had my hair singed off numerous times because people have fallen asleep after using magic.

I knew exactly what Gaius was holding in front of me and it was nothing to do with "keeping my brain awake" it was to make sure my magic stayed under control while I slept.

I tried to take the potion from his hands but my arms were too heavy and they fell limply to my side.

Gaius smiled. "Would you like some help?"

"Please?" I answered pathetically.

Gaius lifted the cup to my lips and I tried not to let how ashamed I felt at having to be helped. I felt weak, weaker than I had ever felt and I didn't like it. I had spent my whole life trying to prove that I was strong and after one incident I was coming across as exactly what I had never wanted to be, a fragile young girl.

I swallowed the liquid letting none of the feelings I had just been thinking of show on my face. I knew I could sleep now but I had one last thing to make sure of.

"Bryce?" I said simply, I posed the question to Gwaine but I knew that Merlin, standing behind the knight, knew that it was meant for him.

"He's safe," Gwaine said, "I promise."

I smiled at him and I saw Merlin nod slightly behind him and that made me feel safe enough to let my eyes close slowly.

The last thing I felt was Gwaine's arms wrap around me as I lost consciousness.

**A/N: Please review. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for reading and subscribing to my story. Hope you like this chapter I tried really hard to make this good so please review after reading it. Thanks, enjoy.**

Chapter 2, merlin

Waking up in a bed that I'd never seen scared me. I'd heard people say that when they woke up from a bad day, the previous day felt like a nightmare. I now knew how that felt. Though I had a feeling I'd been asleep longer than one day.

Someone had changed me into a pale pink, cotton nightdress and washed my face and my hair. I sat up and put my feet out of the bed. My head spun slightly but my body felt refreshed and I could feel my magic tingling in my body; it was back to its full strength and it was waiting to be used.

Whoever it was that had done everything else had left me a pink, satin dress and pale pink sandals. I'd never seen such beautiful clothes. The Druids liked to dress in the best clothes they could find but I'd never seen any like this before. They'd left me a white corset and underskirt and even they were made of the finest cotton. I dressed quickly and brushed out my hair with the wire brush that had also been left at my bedside. Once I'd decided I was presentable to royalty I opened the door to the room I was in, I only opened it a crack but I immediately heard the excited chatter of Bryce, the fact I was awake was no longer a secret. I opened the door fully and entered the room on the other side. It was a physician's workshop but I could see from the way it was set out that it doubled as a home. I recognised it from when I had passed out however many days ago it was that I'd been found in the forest. I remembered that the physician's name was Gaius but I couldn't see him anywhere, I immediately noticed Bryce though. He was wrapped up in blankets and he too had been bathed and dressed in expensive attire, he was in a cushioned basket that worked as a bed.

"Hey Brycey," I said to him as I made my way over to him, "missed me? I don't suppose you know how long I've been sleeping?"

Bryce continued to chatter excitedly as I picked him up. I looked very closely at him and I felt a rush of fear and worry run through me, he looked malnourished and exhausted.

"Oh baby," I muttered, "look at you, you're exhausted. Have you not slept? It doesn't look like you've eaten much either. Have they not helped you? Is it because of me?"

I heard a movement behind me and I turned sharply in defensive mode.

"It's alright!" Merlin said his hands in the air. He was sitting on a chair in the corner but he'd stood up when I had spun round. "I was going to tell you that we've been trying to feed him but he refused to eat and we couldn't get him to sleep. Gaius didn't want to give him a sleeping draught because we didn't know exactly how young he was."

I looked closely at the strange, raggedy boy in front of me and accepted that he was telling the truth. I would have known if he was lying. I looked down at my baby boy.

"Is he telling the truth Son?" I asked, "Were you not sleeping or eating? Why was that? New place? Because I was sleeping? That's right isn't it? You were guarding me as I slept. Well you can sleep now Brycey, Mummy's here."

I watched him chatter for a little longer and I was aware of how close Merlin had come. He watched as I hummed to Bryce as he fell asleep. I kissed his forehead lightly as I placed him back in his basket.

"How long was I asleep?" I muttered to Merlin as he looked with wide eyes at what he'd been trying to do for the whole time I'd been sleeping.

"Four days," he answered quietly, evidently not wanting to wake Bryce now that he was finally sleeping.

I turned on him with an angry glare, "and you let him stay awake for that whole time?"

"There was nothing I could..." He began surprised at my reaction.

"Oh yes there was!" I shot back at him, "don't act like a simpleton with me Emrys, I knew who you were the minute you called the king by his first name. You could have charmed him to sleep or charmed a potion."

"I... " Merlin started and then thought better of what he was going to say, "Sorry. The king's been down here so often that I couldn't risk charming him. I also didn't want to over-do it, too much power and he could have been out for months."

Now it was my turn to be surprised, "the king doesn't know?"

"No," Merlin muttered looking around worriedly, "and it has to stay that way until the time is right."

"So he doesn't know about Mordred either then?" I said, remembering the name of the young knight.

"How did you know about Mordred?" He asked shocked.

"Those creatures that were ... um ... following me, only magic folk can sense them, both you and Mordred felt their presence just as I did, I just felt it first because I was expecting it." I explained. "And don't worry I won't tell the king," I added, "that's not my style."

"Thanks," Merlin said quietly, "I'm sorry for not helping your son."

I smiled and turned back to Bryce, I started humming to him again and watched as he fell deeper and deeper into his sleep. I was so entranced, watching my son, that I didn't hear the door open.

"How did you get him to sleep?" I heard an old man's voice behind me.

I jumped and turned quickly. I, straight away, recognised Gaius, the physician.

"A mother's touch always works," I said to him smiling.

"Well," Gaius said, also smiling, "I guess you'll have to stay awake from now on."

"He'll sleep fine now that he's sure I'm okay," I explained, "he's a clever child. He was protecting me by staying awake."

"He's a baby." Merlin said, perplexed.

"He's a Druid." I said simply, touching Bryce's tiny face.

"How are you feeling then Miss?" Gaius asked me after a while of silence.

"I'm feeling good," I said, "thank you for the potion."

"You are very welcome," Gaius said smiling again. I noticed how kind he looked when he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled up and hi eyebrows lifted high up, almost into his white hair. "Quite a few people will want to see you now you're awake. Speaking of whom, Merlin, Arthur wanted to see you in the stables."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Merlin moaned. "He's going to kill me now."

"Stop moaning and go Merlin!" Gaius said, his eyes rolling.

Merlin nodded to me, grabbed a piece of bread from the wooden table, in the centre of the room and ran out of the door.

"You were saying people wanted to see me?" I asked, nervously. I knew what was going to happen: it was Camelot's law that anyone with magic must be executed. Admittedly since Arthur had been crowned king there hasn't been a lot, if any, executions but I doubt anyone had outwardly used magic in front of him. "They're going to hold a trial, aren't they?"

"Why would they do that?" Gaius asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I used magic in front of the king," I explained.

"You saved the King's life." Gaius smiled, "You will have to meet with him but I don't think you have to worry. He isn't his father, he is much more tolerant with magic."

"I guess that might be right," I said quietly, secretly slightly relieved.

"I think you just helped your cause too, Cerys," he said. I was surprised he had remembered my name.

"I don't understand?" I replied, confused.

"You have shown the King that magic can be used for good, not just for evil," Gaius elaborated, "Arthur has had little experience with magic that's meant to help him and the magic he has experienced that is good he hasn't known was there."

"You mean Merlin?" I asked quietly

"Exactly." Gauis said slightly taken aback at my knowledge.

"A Druid knows a magic user when they see one," I told the physician, "especially one as powerful as Merlin. He has another name within the Druids, I didn't see it at first but when he spoke to the King like a friend I realised. He is the one that is destined to bring peace to our kingdom, to unite magic users and non-magic users. It is his destiny. Emrys, it's a name that has comforted me my whole life. I just didn't expect him to be so... well… he's a servant."

"Of course he is," Gaius nodded wisely, "with a destiny as great as his he must be kept humble and hidden, keeping him as a servant is the only way to do that, while still keeping him close to Arthur."

"That does make sense," I nodded.

"Cerys, if you don't mind me asking," Gaius asked, "What village did you and Bryce come from?"

"The druids called it Ofni Dewr," I said quietly, "It means feared brave. At the beginning of King Uther's reign, when magic was first outlawed, people that were feared of being evil; druids, sorcerers, dragon lords etcetera, they hid in this village for a while but eventually Uther's men came searching through it. So ten men and ten woman gave themselves in to the Knights that came, to protect the other's that were hidden there. They became known by the Druids as The Feared Brave: they were feared by many but they were brave enough to kill themselves to save their families and friends. My family has lived there since that time."

"I've heard of Ofni Dewr," Gaius said thoughtfully, "I didn't think it still existed though, I thought it was burnt down years ago."

"That was a rumour that had to be spread for the safety of the people that lived there." I answered, again quietly. I was being careful in case someone else was listening and I could tell that Gaius knew that. "What were once myths of the village soon became much too close to the truth and the villagers decided that it was safer to pretend it was no longer there than to let King Uther's men find it. We had to keep little myths flying about now and then though."

"Why would you do that?" Gaius said curiously.

"Ofni Dewr was a place that was meant to symbolise bravery in people that were outlawed, unwanted." I explained, "It gave people with magic hope. It's okay for me, living in a village full of magic users but for someone out on their own, in a kingdom full of people that are made to believe that all magic is evil, there's no hope for them. They can't understand that there are more people just like them out there. If a magic user is desperate enough they'll be led to Ofni Dewr to recover or to be helped, or so the myths said. It was part of the charm of the village, new people passed through all the time and only a few of them knew where exactly they were but we were always happy to help whoever asked for it."

"It sounds very beautiful." Gaius smiled.

"It was," I said sadly, letting my eyes flicker to the sleeping baby that would never get to know the village I had lived in for all my life, "Until those _things_ caught up to us and burnt it down."

"I'm sorry," Gaius said sadly, "It must be hard for you. Were you the only two that escaped?"

"As far as I know," I almost whispered the words, not wanting to believe them. "Everyone thought Bryce was to be a seer. I never believed them until that night: he started screaming during the night and his father had been working late, so I took him a walk to try and calm him down. We were quite far into the forest when he stopped screaming and that was when we saw the flames, heard the screams."

"So you ran?" Gaius said carefully.

"No." I said a little too sharply, "I went back of course, my whole family lived there and I was one of the village's most powerful sorceress' I wanted to help but when I reached the village the huts had been burnt down. Some of them had just disappeared, some of the people were still there, barely alive. All of the children were dead, in the centre of the village in a pile. It was heart-breaking. I would have believed that it was knight's had huts not have just vanished, some of the people had too. Some people were just skeletons and some were dead but others just weren't there. There were no signs of them running away though but I waited in the village for days to see if they came back but they didn't."

"Your family?" Gaius asked shocked, "what happened to them?"

"Like I said," I began, tears streaming down my face in sadness. Thinking of those days was horrible for me but I didn't want to stop talking. It was the first time I would get to explain my story in full to another person and it felt good to get it off of my chest, "All of the children were in a pile. I was the oldest of my siblings and so all but one of them was on that pile. My father was missing, as was my husband but my mother was there in the flesh, an arrow through her heart. I tried to take it out but it burned my skin. That was how I knew that those _things_ had done it. They had haunted my village for generations. Each family had an occupation, you could say, within the village and both mine and my husband's families were trained to take down the _beasts_. I knew it was them after seeing all of the weapons used. There's a certain taint to the weapon that is left there after they cast their curse on them."

"You're husband?" Gaius asked, clearly not wanting to go into the details of the murders, "You were married?"

"Yes. We were married very young," I explained, "When I was a child our families made an arrangement, they were both very influential families and binding the two of us together when we were young we showed the rest of the village that there was unity between everyone in the village. We were brought up to be "leaders" of the village but we were just figureheads, people to look up to. It was only when I fell pregnant that people really started to believe that we'd had a choice in the marriage though."

"Did you have a choice?"

"Yes, we did. At the age I was I didn't love him but we knew it had to be done and we were friends so it didn't seem wrong, our families wouldn't have made us marry if we didn't want to. We were still druids at heart, even if we were trained to fight and not to bring peace through other methods, we still believed in love. In fact, the pregnancy alarmed our families, we'd been wed long enough that we did love each other but I'm not sure our parents knew that until then."

"You sound like you've had a hard life apart from the beauty of the village," Gaius said almost to himself.

"No," I disagreed wholeheartedly. I began wiping away the tears, "It wasn't the easiest but I never felt unloved or unwanted. Ofni Dewr always stuck together, kept our young safe and I was, admittedly, better off than others in the village. I always offered help to people with less than me and we all got through. It was a beautiful village. I just can't believe it's gone now. The worst part of it other than my family being gone is that Bryce will never really know it."

"I can't imagine how you feel but if you ever need someone to talk to I'm always here to talk," Gaius smiled, "You have my word."

"Thank you Gaius," I smiled.

We watched Bryce sleep for a while. I could feel that my fingers were twitching, my magic was itching to be used but I supressed the feeling, not wanting to get myself into more trouble than I was already in. I stopped crying eventually, telling myself that if Bryce woke up I didn't want him to see me so weak. In truth the thought of my village and my family being gone was killing me inside, it was like a sleeping dragon was inside me just waiting to be woken up so it could breathe fire on everything around me.

There was another knock on the door and I turned around slowly. The King was standing in the doorway.

**A/N: hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and favourite and stuff.**

**Thanks,**

**Cora.**

**Coming soon: A conversation with the King, A new occupation for Cerys, A confrontation and Some sorcery.**


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